Campaigners have vowed to fight "tooth and nail" a proposed high
speed rail line through the Chilterns which will be unveiled by the
Government today.

A raft of legal challenges are likely as opposition grows to the proposed route which will sweep through an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Both the Conservatives and Labour have said they would fast track the project in an attempt to avoid the delays which have dogged major transport schemes in the past.

Lord Adonis, the Transport Secretary, and Theresa Villiers, his Labour shadow have said they will use a parliamentary device known as a hybrid bill which, after a public consultation, will enable building to start within five years.

There are already signs of mounting opposition to the route the train will take through rural Buckinghamshire, which will make it possible to travel from London to Birmingham in 47 minutes.

It is the decision to run the track close to Aylesbury which has emerged as the bone of contention.

This has incensed Tory-controlled Buckinghamshire County Council, which believes the line should be routed via Milton Keynes, shadowing the existing West Coast Main Line.

"There is no need to sacrifice our beautiful countryside because of the fact that it is the shortest distance from London to Birmingham, " said Val Letheren, the council's cabinet member with responsibility for transport.

"We have more lawyers per square mile in Buckinghamshire than any other county and we will fight this tooth and nail."

Cllr Letheren also criticised the decision to use a hybrid bill to force the project through. Her concerns are likely to be shared by others whose homes will be blighted by the project which would see trains hurtling through the countryside at 250mph.

Lord Adonis's blueprint will draw a line on a map which will be within five meters (16.4 feet) of the path taken by the line from London to the West Midlands as well as outline proposals how the line could be extended further north.

The line will go from a rebuilt Euston to Old Oak Common in north west London, where there will be an interchange with the planned Crossrail line linking Heathrow to Shenfield in Essex.

It is understood that the high speed line is likely to head directly towards the Chilterns, rather than a more southerly route via Heathrow – which is the option preferred by the Tories.

From there it will head through the Chilterns running to the West Midlands, where a new major transport hub would be created at Birmingham International.

This would not only serve the airport, bringing it within around 40 minutes from the heart of London, but also act as the base for two further high speed lines heading north towards Scotland.

One would run to Manchester and Preston, before heading towards the border. The other is expected to be routed through the East Midlands to Sheffield, Yorkshire and then the North East.

Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat transport spokesman and a strong supporter of the project, welcomed the plans for a new transport hub. "This will transform Birmingham, perhaps in a way that even people living there do not appreciate."